Young Fil-Am hones skills at BEST Center

MANILA, Philippines—Showing immense potential, third grader Ella Patrice Fajardo is carving a niche as a future basketball ace in the United States.

Benefiting from her training at BEST Center Philippines, the 8-year-old Fajardo is considered as one of the finest young players in New Jersey.

Although she grew up in New Jersey, Fajardo’s family travels to the Philippines so that she could also train here. She recently passed Level 3 at BEST Center.

“In the US, they don’t teach the little things that help you in your game,” said Fajardo. “The drills make you a good player, but it’s the small details that win games.”

Standing a little over five feet, Fajardo also plays for the Transfiguration Academy Tigers as well as the top-ranked New Jersey Lady Titans in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU).

Among those who have been impressed by the young basketball prodigy is WNBA pioneer Tamecka Dixon, a former Los Angeles Sparks player, who has taken Fajardo under her wing to hone her skills. Cedelf P. Tupas